Mr Valery Timofeev, of Russian nationality, was born on 26 September 1938. He was elected Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau of ITU at the 2002 Plenipotentiary Conference in Marrakesh. From 1999, until taking up his duties as Director BR on 1 January 2003, Mr Timofeev was Deputy Minister for Communications and Informatization of the Russian Federation. During the period 1992 until the end of 2002 he was also Deputy Chairman of the State Radio-Frequency Commission of the Russian Federation.

Mr Timofeev was re-elected to a second four-year term as Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, in November 2006.

From 1970 to 1974, Mr Timofeev was an engineer in the secretariat of the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB) of the ITU. From 1961 until 1992 he occupied various positions in the State Radio Research Institute (NIIR).

During his years of employment with the State Radio Research Institute, Mr Timofeev accumulated extensive professional experience in the fields of radio-wave propagation, frequency spectrum planning, development of national EMC standards and the design of satellite communication and television and radio broadcasting systems. For many years, he was responsible for the international coordination of satellite communication systems and headed national delegations at coordination meetings with other administrations.

As Deputy Minister for Communications and Informatization of the Russian Federation, Mr Timofeev was directly responsible for matters pertaining to effective radio-frequency spectrum management, the development of television and radio broadcasting and the deployment and operation of the national satellite communication and broadcasting system, as well as for the Russian Administration's participation in the work of various international bodies, including the International Telecommunication Union, the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), INTERSPUTNIK, Intelsat and Eutelsat.

Mr Timofeev has participated in the meetings of various ITU bodies, including Plenipotentiary Conferences (1982, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006), the Council, World (Administrative) Radiocommunication Conferences (1974, 1977, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2003 ), World Telecommunication Development Conferences (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006), Radiocommunication Assemblies (1993, 1995, 1997 2000 and 2003), the 1996 World Telecommunication Policy Forum, preparatory meetings for ITU-R conferences, and meetings of the Radiocommunication (ex-CCIR) Study Groups. Mr Timofeev has served as the head or deputy head of national delegations at several ITU conferences and meetings.

In 1993, he chaired the World Radiocommunication Conference and was Vice-Chairman of the Radiocommunication Assembly. At the 1994 and 1998 Plenipotentiary Conferences, he was elected to serve as a member of the ITU Radio Regulations Board, of which he was Vice-Chairman in 1997 and Chairman in 1998.

Mr Timofeev is the author of more than 60 scientific publications on various aspects of radiocommunications and broadcasting, satellite communications, frequency planning, EMC and international cooperation in the field of communications.

He is a co-author of five monographs and the author or co-author of nine patents on different inventions in the field of radiocommunications.

He is a member of the International Communications Academy and a corresponding member of the K.E. Tsiolkovsky Academy of Cosmonautics.